FireHawk#139

Hi All,

I have read the excellent WhiteBird00 FAQ regarding the Monsoon system in my '01 Trans Am. Armed with that information AND having replaced most of the system, , I STILL haven't been successful in getting my system to be 100% Operational


The Problem: No or VERY low output from BOTH the RR Sail and the RR Hatch Midrange speaker.

All other speakers seem to work properly and have good clean output.

Background: When I purchased the car there was no speaker in the RR sail. This leads me to believe that the original owner was ALSO having problems with the system.

What I have done: In an attempt to upgrade my system ( and fix the problem ), I installed a NEW headunit along with some Audiopipe DVC ( 4 Ohm ) Sail-Panel speakers.

No change !

Still wasn't getting normal output from either the RR Sail or the RR Midrange -- even with the NEW HU and correct configuration and impedance for the Sail speakers.

I have used an ohmmeter to verify that the AMP "sees" 4 Ohms for BOTH voice coils on the RR Sail and also that it "sees" 4 Ohms for the single 4 ohm voice coil of the RR Hatch Midrange. I connected the ohmmeter at the AMP connector for these measurements. I also determined that there are NO apparent opens or shorts in the wiring at the AMP connector.

So... I buy a used Delco stock amp and install it. And -- NO CHANGE !

I have verified that the wire harness @ the amp has input @ Pins E5 and E4 ( RR input to the amplifier ) -- as there is continuity between these pins and the RR Tweeter.

I have the electrical schematics for the system. I have used an ohmmeter to verify proper connections and no shorts to adjacent wires or PWR/GND at the AMP connector.

And...

The RR Tweeter works PERFECTLY ! ( This signal is the input to the AMP for BOTH the RR Sail and the RR Hatch Midrange )

Almost done ( Whew ! ) For giggles, I got ANOTHER used Delco amp and just installed it.

And -- ( You Guessed it ) NO Change !.

I am hopeful that someone can shed some insight into my problem and offer a suggestion on what approach to take in my next step of troubleshooting. I REALLY want to keep the stock amp and wiring and would like to get this system operational.

BTW -- I have a buddy with an oscilloscope I can borrow -- should I need to dig even further into finding a solution to my problem.

Thanks in advance to any expert suggestions.

Bob

FireHawk#139

Hi All,

I see that quite a few members have read my post.

Thanks !

Does anyone have a troubleshooting method that I might try next ?

I'm stumped

Bob

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

If I'm reading this correctly, you have confirmed that all the wiring is intact - both between the head unit and the amp and between the amp and the sail panels. Have you confirmed that you are actually getting signal from the head unit to the amp? Certainly an oscilloscope would do it but it might be easier to unplug the amp connector and use simple jumper wires to connect a small speaker to each of the four channels to verify signal from the head unit. That signal is unfiltered so just about any speaker would do.

I'm wondering if the problem is something in the head unit. We've had a number of members install aftermarket head units and lose their sail panel output. It usually turned out to be settings in the head unit menus. As an example, some head units will turn off their speaker level output when the pre-amp (RCA) output is turned on. I doubt that particular issue in your case since the tweeters work... the tweeters don't go through the amp but they do get their signal from the head unit... but there are other settings that could have a similar impact.

FireHawk#139

Thanks for feedback regarding my Monsoon Amp problems. !!

I like your suggestion of using some jumper wires and a test speaker as a load to verify wiring connections. This also could be used to verify the individual channel amplifiers in the Monsoon Amp - 1 channel at a time.

GOOD suggestion

I'll double check the HU settings also.

Thanks !

Bob

ajsmcs

Your tweeter probably has a "Protection Capacitor" wired inline somewhere. Basically, in the event of a short or amp pop, it prevents full range or DC signals from reaching the tweeter, which could kill it.

This capacitor filters out frequencies below a certain cutoff point.

So...

If you accidentally switched the leads to the coaxial speakers- in other words, send high frequencies to the woofer and low frequencies to the tweeter- all you will hear are high frequencies.

Why? Because all of the low frequencies will be filtered out of the tweeter, BUT because the woofer doesn't have an inline filter it will still play all of the high frequencies intended for the tweeter.

When I was putting new speakers in my dad's Monsoon Camaro Convertible, I had this exact thing happen to me, and I knew right away what the problem was.

Note:I only have experience with the convertible speaker setup, so I'm not super clear on what is where in the coupe.

BUT I know a whole lot about audio engineering and installing audio systems, and the advice I'm giving is based off general experience with that.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Interesting comments but unfortunately not applicable in this case. You are correct that Firebirds have inline high-pass filter capacitors because unlike Camaros, the tweeters are not powered (and signal filtered) by the Monsoon amp.

However, Firebirds don't have the coaxially mounted components in the doors that are in Camaros - they have their tweeters mounted in a separate pod several inches from the mid so it would be difficult to mix them up just due to wire length alone.

Neither of the f-body models have tweeters in the sail panels... both have subs there with low pass filtering provided by the Monsoon amp (DVC for Firebird, SVC for Camaro). So high-pass filters could not be the issue in the case of the sail panels. And even if the wiring were reversed in the hatch area, the 4" mids there are capable of reproducing the higher frequencies normally sent to the tweeters (not well but enough to tell that they were working).

ajsmcs

As an aside, WhiteBird00, since you seem like the go-to Monsoon expert on this forum, would you mind taking a look at a thread I just posted on here a few minutes ago?

HappySalesman

iTrader: (3)

One important question. Have you tested the lines coming from the amplifier to the speakers while playing music to see if there is any AC voltage on the lines themselves? This would help narrow down the source of the problem.

Have you run a continuity test from the amplifier pin to the corresponding terminal on the speaker to ensure there are no breaks?